Ari Reviews: World War Z

By my parents' bed is a small amount of books. Some talk of business, some classic comics. But there is one book that my dad has been making me read - a book that I never really caught interest in because I was too busy crying over John Green's The Fault in Our Stars and waving my ballpen as I reread the Harry Potter series. Hell, I was even cooped in my room, pounding the various algebraic expressions in my head. 

Finally, I gave in to my dad's request and picked up the book. The title read World War Z, written by Max Brooks. From what I understood, the Zombie War was going on and all around aside from the spreading of the zombie infection were geo-political people, tales of the religious, and massive shifts all around the world. Although I was not able to finish it, I was surprised when my dad told me a few months later that a movie was in the works.

Around two weeks ago, my family went out to watch a movie. My brother and I wanted to see Monsters' University, but my dad insisted on watching World War Z, which was newly released. Prior to watching, my dad told me that the movie adaption was nothing like the movie. So, all my knowledge from the book was wiped clean. However, he went on, even though the movie wasn't faithful to the book, he had researched and found out that surprisingly, a large amount of critics liked it. 

So that brought my hopes up. I nestled in my seat, dug into my french fries and soda, and eventually, the movie started playing in front of my eyes. 

The Lightning's Watcher

Arzen shot a glance at Elaine, who looked back at her. The former simply stood up and so did the other – both of them walking away from the table without a single word. Beatrice frowned slightly and was about to follow, but Therese shot her a look and forced her to sit down. This made the latter exhale loudly, she muttering an agitated “damn it, fine” under her breath.

“I don’t understand why she keeps doing this,” Arzen grumbled. Elaine merely chuckled, waiting as Arzen returned the tray and went back to her, both of them approaching the stairs. “I really don’t. It’s like she wants a freaking reaction out of us.”

“Well. Her thingy backfired,” Elaine replied dully. Arzen smirked at the use of the word, and as they climbed up the stairs, the braided girl went on. “We’ll just keep doing this. Backfiring and shiznuts.”

Arzen bit her lip.

“I hope this doesn’t get us sent to the guidance.”

Elaine frowned, “I don’t think it will. If it does. Well. We’ll just tell the truth.”

“The truth?”

“We’re innocent, Arzen. You, me, Therese, Beatrice, Cianna – all of us are freaking innocent. And speaking of Cianna, I think she was going to scream a while ago.”

“Good thing she didn’t.”

“Yeah. I could see the steam coming out of her head.”

“You think she knows?”

“Of course she knows.”

A pause.

“Do you think it’s just a…plastic-plastic thingy?”

Elaine didn’t reply. Arzen sighed yet again, and they reached the second floor of the building.

Climbing up some more, Arzen Venura frowned at the sudden gust at wind that blew.

She glanced out the window.

A sunny day greeted her.

Elaine noticed her stop, and turned her head to look at the girl.

“What is it?”

“…nothing, nothing. Just the wind.”

“The wind? It’s July and humid.”

“Exactly. I don’t know.” She caught up to Elaine and managed a laugh, “Maybe it’s Mother Nature on her way to kill us or something. I don’t even know anymore.” Arzen looked at the other. “Hey…is he still visiting or whatever? Taking you to places? Bringing you to Apalacupia?”

This made Elaine Rivers glance away.

“No. Not really.”

“Huh.”

The word hung in the air, and another gust of wind blew. Arzen immediately shot Elaine a look, to which the other sent a look back.

“It’s not me.”

“Don’t even think that I did that.”

They reached the third floor and were almost at their own.

Aside from the chatter from the Freshman area, the hallways were deserted.

“You know, there’d usually be people walking by over here.”

“We finished early?”

“Yeah, but still.”

“Well. At least we have some kind of privacy to talk about…it.”

“It?”

“Yeah. It-”

And finally, a gust of air blew harshly, making the glass windows shatter into many pieces. Expecting to be hit by the shards, Arzen covered her face and expected sharp pieces to pierce her skin, but none came. Slowly opening her eyes, she looked at Elaine, who remained unscathed.

Time had stopped perfectly.

The watch on Elaine’s wrist told them that.

Arzen glanced at her own watch and her eyes widened –

And she confirmed that it did stop, indeed.

When the Prat and the Blondie Dance

“Five, six, seven, eight, twirl the girl and dip!” Isabel instructed, circling the various pairs who dipped their partners neatly. “Alright, that was better than the last round of practice. Take ten, you guys, that was great!” Isabel smiled and was immediately approached by her own partner, while Arzen and her own partner drank from their own water bottles.

“You didn’t step on my toes this time, darling,” the guy commented with a smirk. This made Arzen blush and glare at the same time, she smacking him on the arm with the ice-cold bottle. “I was kidding! Pour some on my head, won’t you?”

“You’re ridiculous,” she muttered under her breath, opening her bottle and pouring a generous amount on the male’s head. “This is the third time you told me to pour water on you – if you finish this bottle, I’ll make you buy me another this lunch.” The male ran a hand through his ginger hair, sighing in relief as the cold water hit his flushed skin.

“I’ll get you two bottles, sweetheart. Now, can I have that?” Arzen Venura begrudgingly handed hers over, and watched with a blank face as Mathias Angelo poured the remaining contents over himself, ignoring the fact that his shirt would be drenched as well. Even after getting water in his eyes, he grinned at her and was pleased to see a slight smile reflected back at him.

At the other side of the room, Elaine Rivers kept a determined face as Daniel Edevane smoothly switched her from his left side to his right, the twosome moving forward and backward in unison as Anne watched them with a sharp eye. “One, two, three, four – infinity, and then back into his arms!” Daniel, right after doing the infinity move, quickly pulled her back into his arms, spinning her smoothly. “Okay, we’re consistent. Take the rest of the period off – except for Stephan and Marian, I’ll show you the right footwork.”

Elaine stretched, bending down after to tie her shoelaces. Daniel watched her quietly with his golden eyes, a small smile crawling up to his lips as she rose back up. “…what?”

“Nothing. I never knew you were a good dancer, Rivers,” he teased, making her roll her eyes in exasperation.

“That was just practice luck. I’ll mess up in the actual assessment,” she replied with a dull tone, spotting Arzen and Mathias making their way to the pair. Daniel frowned at her words.

“If you mess up, I’ll mess up with you.”

She shot him a look.

“Don’t be such a British gentleman, you Brit.”

“It’s in my veins,” he replied smoothly, giving Mathias a short nod and Arzen a polite smile. “How was your practice?” Daniel asked, brows quirking at the sight of Mathias’ damp, red hair.

“It was alright,” Arzen answered, sitting next to Elaine and hugging her knees. “We were given the rest of the period off. Isabel just asked us to keep practicing and told us to bring costumes by Friday.” She quickly looked at the other groups, two of which practiced the boogie, and the other two swing. She and Elaine’s groups had drawn the papers with ‘swing’ written on with Ms. Jocelyn’s – their PE teacher – straight and neat handwriting. The handwriting that could put Beatrice Mora’s to shame. “Is Ms. Jackie going to be present by tomorrow?” Mathias shook his head.

“I don’t think so. We might have another free period tomorrow, depending if she sends some seatwork or whatever.” Elaine undid her braid, reaching for her orange hairbrush which lay on top of her chair, and began to brush her hair. “That, or we get Ms. De Los Reyes again – and, no offense to her, but she just keeps her lessons into Economics.”

“She’s an Economics teacher, what else can she do? I’m surprised that Ride and the others are able to comprehend their lessons.” The long-haired girl spoke up. “I’d rather practice. I can just catch up on the Minoan and Mycenaean people with the help of the book, anyway.”

“That’s because you’re good in World History,” Arzen put in. Elaine gave her a deadpan look.

“Says Ms. Chemistry.”

“Oi, I just got fourteen mistakes on that test. I don’t think I’ll be able to forgive Sir Joseph for putting in those stupid conversions.”

“Are you really forgetting Geometry, Arzen?” Daniel interrupted. This made Mathias blink.

“Geometry isn’t that bad. English is the killer.”

“Now you’re the one who’s wrong, Mathias. It just requires a lot of analysis and further reading.” The two females and the other male merely gave Daniel a look – Arzen with a frown, Elaine with a look of irritation, and Mathias with a gaping expression. “What? I’m English.”

“Yeah, yeah. Apparently if you’re not English, you’d suck at the subject. I’m living proof.” Mathias stated flatly.

“Proof number two,” Arzen sang.

“And I’m truth number three. But Mathias, aren’t you half?” Elaine questioned.

“Half-Italian, half-English. I’m guessing you need to be fully English like blondie here.”

“I appreciate the nickname, prat.”

“No problem, blondie, no problem.” He replied serenely. Arzen and Elaine exchanged glances.

“Please don’t start a testosterone war. Again.”

Happy blogsary, Liselle!

Happy blogsary, darling!

As promised, here's the playlist I made.

There won't be any lyric guide because.

Well.

You've gotta analyze that. 

*weh feeling english mqt*

But really, I'll leave you to analyze it. :-)

Or you know, I can just put it in the usb

I'll give you the gifts on Monday! xx

A Red String in the Cage of Fate

A multitude of realities. It’s like flipping a coin to decide either heads or tails, except that coin has a lot more sides to it, and has more of an effect rather than letting it decide who goes first or whatsoever. The flipping itself has created two distinct possibilities, heads or tails would lead to those, and the decisions made after the result of head or tail would then create more. These realities are tightly compressed and bound, some carrying few changes and others carrying much more. One reality can have a slower passage of time and the other can have people in the sky. Despite all of this, all people who have and are existing are all present in the other realities. Some may be cut short and others may live longer, and yet some others may just have the same lifespan throughout. If one is born into a reality, then they are born in another reality. It doesn’t matter when or where, just as long as the said person serves the said purpose given to them in life.

With that given, fate controls one thing as well aside from the existence of all people: the endgame. Earth may disintegrate from the sun’s heat in one world, but it may also wither and die in another. But what they have in common is that in both worlds, the Earth died. This is the endgame. John Smith may win a million dollars and die the next day in one timeline, or would live in poverty yet die happy in another, but their endings are one and the same: death. Fate doesn’t stop and give free passes to anyone nor does it quicken the passing on from one life to another. Fate is a schoolteacher you refused to understand in your younger years, yet have learned to appreciate as time went on. 

Aside from this, fate puppets another.

In exhibit A, John Smith weds Mary Jane.

In exhibit B, John Smith weds Betty Doe, divorces her, and then ends up with Mary Jane.

Fate controls the connection of souls. No matter how separated one may be from their destined other, they would always carry on in the end. The souls who refused to marry would live with themselves, and fate would let them do so happily. It does not press this upon the undeserving, but puts this on the people who would grow best with the given situation.

Plato discusses that humans were made to have four arms and legs, but were split apart by Zeus, who willed them to roam the Earth in exchange for their significant other, the one who completed their soul. Argumentatively, those who would end up with no significant other would find themselves their own soul mate – they would fit themselves best and would be able to take care of themselves well enough just like a husband would care for his wife, etc. Mother Fate interfered once more, ensuring that this would happen. She conjured up the strongest of strings and colored them red as a symbol of love. With the strings in her hands, she scattered them amongst the realities in such a way that one would end up with the same other. Those who were not hit by the strings would live happily by themselves.

In the future, this would be perceived as the theory of “The Red String of Fate”. People of different cultures and races would make their own folklore of this, believing what they did. Somehow, they were able to get the idea that people had their own soul mate they would always reach – but that was as far as they got.

A Debt of Grahams and Other Sweets

“Eri! Eri, look at this!”

Lisa Sonne pulled a blinking Eri Blitzschnell into the Coordinates’ Control Room, where a familiar golden dot blinked on the screen. It made its’ way to the left side of the crossroads, closer and closer to the entrance of New Technika. Eri could only smirk slightly and told Lisa to call Mathias, to which the yellow-eyed lady rolled her eyes and ran from the control room.

The Watcher was there again.

But this time, there was no blinking orange dot nor was there a blinking emerald-green one.

“You never fail to surprise me,” she told to herself (and the screen), shaking her head and pressing a white button on the control panel. Immediately the coordinates map minimized and the Watcher was shown on the screen, calmly walking past. Eri controlled the direction of the camera that watched his movements, and as if he could tell, he looked straight into the lens and waved.

She chuckled, turning around only to see a dark-haired man.

“I was told that someone came again,” he said smoothly, and she rolled her eyes yet again.

“It’s the Watcher. He asked me for something.”

“Nothing too personal, I hope.”

“Calm down.” She faced the screen once more, bringing back the map of coordinates. “Entertain him for me, will you? I need to get some parcels from the Rasant’s place.”

Mathias pouted.

“But he’s irritating.”

“So are you.” She punched his arm lightly. “Now be a gentleman and play nice.”

Grey Skies

“Eri, this isn’t needed,” Celeste urged the black-winged angel, but the latter didn’t bat an eyelash as she stood next to the Queen of the Heavens, a small emerald-stoned dagger in her hand, she twirling it slowly. The scarlet-eyed woman gave the other a pleading look, but Amaya Cielo merely shook her head. From the side, Alpha Nuvola smirked and folded her arms over her chest. “I’ve got guards. You have other duties to do.”

“I don’t think so, Celeste.” Eri spoke, her tone flat as she glared down at the heads of the passing peoples. “Amaya and I are here to relieve Alpha and Arturia of their shift,” she continued, nodding at the Rain and Cloud Angel. “We don’t want anyone else harming a hair on your head.” Amaya glanced wearily at Eri, eyeing her blackened wings for merely a second before telling Alpha and Arturia Pioggia that they could go.

Arturia merely nodded, tugging at Alpha and then flying off. Alpha followed, though hesitant. At that, Eri managed to relax and removed her grip from the Queen’s shoulder.

Celeste, though thankful for the protection, couldn’t help but glance at Eri’s wings as well. Eri didn’t blink and kept her gaze straight, small electric currents rushing up and down her dark green, silk dress.

Amaya broke the silence. “You can go back in now, Celeste. We’ll take it from here.”

At Celeste departed into her room, the doors shut and the locks clicked into place.

“Puro’s getting on my nerves.”

“I know. She’s getting on everyone’s nerves.”

“Tell that to the ridiculous people who objectify her.” A sneer came onto Eri’s face. “Caitlin Puro. I can hardly believe she’s a member of the Court. Makes me want to zap lightning into that irritating, childish face and watch as she sobs over her split ends and flaming hair.” Amaya laughed, leaning against the door as she listened to Eri rant more and more about her irritation.

“Ice and Lightning. That would make an interesting fight,” the other commented. Eri merely smirked.

“On second thought, no thanks. I don’t want my wings ripped from my back this time.”

She had that faraway look in her eyes this time. The electric current stopped, and her wings gave a small flutter.

“Celeste and I had a deal.” Dark green eyes met Amaya’s tangerine ones. “If it gets worse, I’ll go tell the Elders.” At the shake of Amaya’s head, Eri frowned. “What?”

“Do we really need to wait for it to get worse?”

Eri fell silent.

“I guess you’re right. But that’s what Celeste and I discussed.”

Amaya sighed.

“This is why people get bullied, Eri. Even Queens.”